October 24 – November 6, 2013
The Korea Chair team takes a biweekly look back at events of interest in Washington, Seoul, and the region.
GLOBAL RELATIONS ROK-European State Summits On November 4, President Park Geun-hye held a summit with Presi- dent François Hollande of France in Paris during a three-day visit. The two leaders discussed ways to increase cooperation in advanced technology, expand economic ties, simplify visa procedures, and ex- pand culture and education interactions.
President Park then visited the United Kingdom on November 5, where she attended an official welcoming party, visited the Bucking- ham Palace to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the two nation’s dip- lomatic relations, had talks with approximately 100 lawmakers in Parliament, and met with Queen Elizabeth II. President Park will visit Belgium and European Union headquarters after finishing her U.K.
schedule and will return to Korea on November 9. President Park Meets Queen Elizabeth II Nuclear Envoys Hold Dialogues President Park Geun‐hye poses for a picture with Nuclear envoys from the ROK, DPRK, China, United States, and Japan Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, before a state have been engaging in various trilateral and bilateral dialogues. The banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 5. Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs Wu Dawei of Chi- na paid a visit to Washington, D.C., on October 28 to meet with Special Photo credit: Cheong Wa Dae. Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies and traveled to Pyongyang on November 4 for the first time since late August. On Oc- tober 29, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hyong-jun of North Korea met with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin of China to discuss the Six-Party Talks in Bei- jing. Davies also met with Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Cho Taeyong of South Korea and Director General for Oceanic Affairs Junichi Ihara of Japan in Washington on November 6.
U.S.-ROK RELATIONS Sixth Round of Special Measures Agreement Negotiations The sixth round of Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations was held in Seoul on October 30 and 31 with U.S. special ambassador for the SMA Eric John and ROK special ambassador Hwang Joon-kook. The current SMA is set to expire at the end of 2013.
ROK DOMESTIC POLITICS The Creative Economy and Small-to Medium-Sized Enterprises Deputy Prime Minister Hyun Oh-Seok announced on October 30 a Na onal Security Office Chief Visits Washington government initiative to improve business conditions for small- and Chief of the Presiden al Na onal Security Office medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The initiative will consist of greater Kim Jang‐soo of South Korea arrived in Washing‐ assistance to failed SMEs, increased eligibility for joint liability ex- ton, D.C., on October 23 for a four‐day visit. He emption, and in-depth diagnostics for troubled businesses. On Octo- met with Na onal Security Adviser Susan Rice, ber 29, the most recent World Bank report on SME business condi- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, and Secretary tions ranked South Korea as having the seventh-best SME business of State John Kerry. conditions in the world. Photo credit: U.S. Department of State.
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ROK DOMESTIC POLITICS (continued) United Progressive Party The ROK Justice Ministry petitioned the Constitutional Court to dissolve the United Progressive party (UPP) on November 5. The ministry claimed North Korea was closely involved in the formation of the party which, could therefore present a national security risk. The UPP could be dissolved if two-thirds of the constitutional judges (six of nine judg- es) approve the petition within 180 days of its submission.
TRADE AND ECONOMICS South Korea’s Economic Growth On October 25, the Bank of Korea released its advanced estimate of Seoul to Purchase U.S. Surveillance Drones third quarter 2013 ROK gross domestic product (GDP). GDP increased South Korea has made plans to purchase Northrup 3.3 percent year-on-year primarily driven by agriculture and construc- Grumman RQ‐4 Global Hawk high‐al tude drones tion. from United States foreign military sale program through the ROK Defense Acquisi ons Program Ad‐ ROK Hosts International State-Owned Enterprise Conference ministra on in 2017. The transac on has not yet been On November 6 and 7, the ROK Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Korea approved by the United States but if the le er of ac‐ Institute of Public Finance, and Inter-American Development Bank host- ed an international conference on state-owned enterprises policy. The ceptance is sent by the end of this year, the buying conference is expected to boost cooperation between Korean public in- process will likely officially begin in 2014. The Global stitutions and their Central and South American counterparts. Hawk drones will allow Seoul to monitor North Korea for up to 42 hours at a me from a height of 20 kilo‐ NORTH KOREA meters. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons. Foreign Exchanges with North Korea On October 28, President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of Mongolia paid a four- day state visit to Pyongyang, the first foreign leader to do so since Kim Jong-un came to power. President Elbegdorj commemorated the 65th anniversary of DPRK-Mongolian relations and met with Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Supreme People’s Assembly. Other recent exchang- es include Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce Nguyen Cam Tu of Vietnam on November 5 and a South African delegation, led by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, visiting this week for three-days to depart on November 7. On Thank you to Yong Ju Lee! November 2, a DPRK delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok- The Korea Chair team bids farewell to our research intern, ung returned from a 17-day trip to Europe. Yong Ju Lee, next Friday. Over the fall semester, Yong Ju has been covering South Korea’s domes c poli cs and inter‐Korean rela ons for the Korea Chair Monitor. Looking Ahead Our Friday morning preview of events to watch in the weeks ahead.
November 7 | ROK deputy minister for political affairs Lee Kyung-soo, Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs Liu Zhenmin, and Japanese Foreign Ministry Asia Bureau director Shinsuke Sugayima will participate in the 8th Korea-Japan-China Trilateral Senior Foreign Officials’ Consultation in Seoul. November | ROK top nuclear envoy Cho Tae-yong will visit Beijing in mid-November to meet with his counter- part, Wu Dawei. November | The seventh round of U.S.-ROK Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations will be held in Washington, DC. November | PRC state councilor Yang Jiechi will meet ROK national security adviser Kim Jang-soo in Seoul to discuss the planned “two-plus-two” security talks, which are expected to be launched in either November or De- cember, and to establish regular communication channels between the Blue House and the State Council.
December | Vice president Joe Biden will visit South Korea in early December as part of an East Asia tour.
1616 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW, WASHINGTON DC 20036 | [email protected] | WWW.CSIS.ORG KOREA CHAIR MONITOR CSIS Office of the Korea Chair contributors: Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Chair Marie DuMond, Research Associate Dana D’Amelio, Research Intern Yongju Lee, Research Intern Andy Lim, Research Intern Shinji Ryu, Research Intern
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